Canada women’s boxing medal hopeful Tammara Thibeault drops opening bout in Paris

Canada’s Tammara Thibeault has been eliminated from the women’s boxing tournament at the Paris Olympics.

Competing in the 75-kilogram weight class, the 27-year-old from Shawinigan, Que. was upset in the Round of 16 by Cindy Ngamba, a Cameroonian boxer fighting for the EOC Refugee Team.

Ngamba won by a score of 3-2 from the five judges

Thibeault had been considered a favourite in Paris, having not lost a fight since her defeat in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics, where she finished fifth, bringing her streak to 25.

She entered the Olympics as the current world champion — a title won in 2022 before several nations boycotted the 2023 world championships to protest against the International Boxing Association.

Thibeault is also a two-time Pan American Boxing gold medallist and won the last Pan American and Commonwealth Games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2024.